Monthly Archives: April 2016

Today we are sharing an excerpt from REPRISE by Lisa Swallow. This is a contemporary romance title and the third book in the series Ruby Riot! The book will be released April 27th and it is available for pre-order now, exclusively through amazon. Be sure to check out the previous books in the series and grab them while they are on sale!

Release Date: April 27th

BLURB:

Drummer Nate Campbell is a ‘Ruby Riot twin’ and that’s all he wants anybody to know. For Nate, girls are a dispensable distraction and the rock star life suits his needs. Nobody will expect him to hand over his heart if he pretends he doesn’t have a one.

Falling for Nate Campbell was the second biggest mistake of Riley Sawyer’s life. When the PR girl worked with the band on a European tour, she earned a reputation as an unapproachable workaholic. One mistake with Nate ruined her reputation, and Riley left vowing never to go anywhere near a tour – or Nate – again.

Two years later, Riley is forced back into the Ruby Riot world. A stolen car, a snowstorm, and Nate’s bloody-mindedness leave the pair stranded together. Nate and Riley cross their thin line between love and hate and discover a connection they don’t want to leave behind when the snow retreats.

Nate knows Riley’s the girl for him but doesn’t want to risk handing her the heart he hides. Riley wants to leave behind her secrets to move on and find love. The problem is, she wants Nate and doesn’t think he can ever be hers – or anybody’s.

Reprise is the third standalone book in the Ruby Riot series.

The Ruby Riot Series

The Amazon Bestselling Rock Romance series #1 Bestsellers in British Contemporary Fiction in Amazon US

Pre-Order REPRISE – Exclusive to Amazon

EXCERPT:

RILEY

Short of time, I devour the chocolate cake, happy the coffee is half-decent. A text arrives, asking why I’m late, and I wipe my fingers before answering.
Each minute that passes, I’m putting off the inevitable.
And as I head towards the lobby, the inevitable appears.
I didn’t mean to but, unprepared, I stop in my tracks. Nate Campbell strides across the tiled floor in my direction. Dressed in dark denim and Converse, greying T-shirt stretched across his chest, he hasn’t changed. The twins are different these days; bass player Will wears his hair longer so there’s no doubt this twin with short, spiked hair is Nate.
I’m convinced Nate’s about to blank me and walk past but he stops too. His green eyes fix on mine with disinterest. I’m wrong; he has changed. His eyes are creased by tiredness, his skin paler, but this doesn’t detract from the deceptive attractiveness of his perfect features. I cannot believe I kissed that mouth; allowed those hands on my body. But there’s nothing attractive behind his lucky genetics, unless Nate’s changed on the inside too. From what I’ve heard, he hasn’t.
“Riley,” he says in greeting.
“Hello, Nate.”
“I heard you were coming. How long you staying?”
“A couple of days.”
“Not long, then.”
“Too long.”
Nate stares at my mouth, then flicks his gaze back to my eyes. His mouth tips at one corner and I hold my breath. It may be two years since, but I’ve seen that look on Nate’s face before. Amusement.
“You haven’t changed,” he says.
“Neither have you, much.”
“Yeah?”
I wave a hand at him. “You look the same.”
“That isn’t what I meant. Your attitude.” Nate crosses his arms. “But yeah, you’re skinnier and your hair’s blonder. I preferred it brown.”
I bristle at the fact he checked me out. “Your attitude remains the same too, then.”
I swore I’d avoid this, but already the animosity slips in.
“Still get your knickers in a twist over everything?”
“What?”
“Just a question. I heard you lost your shit with Melissa a couple of hours ago.” He smirks. “Smiley Riley’s back in town.”
“Jesus, Nate. Two minutes and you’ve already started this. Don’t you think we should forget what happened and be professional?”
Two years.
Two years to say the words that needed saying back then. How we should’ve left things. Professional.
“About what happened? You still dwelling on that?” Nate shakes his head. “Ancient history, Riley.”
“Okay.” I put my phone in my bag. “Call this the line in the sand. I’ll ignore what happened in the past if you do. A couple of days here and I’m gone, and we don’t have to see each other again. We can be civil for that long.”
Nate rubs his index finger along his lips, staring at my mouth again. “How about we just keep out of each other’s way?”
“Sounds like a great idea.”
“If you can, of course.”
I laugh, a short derisive sound. “Seriously?”
Nate steps closer and that tiny change in proximity floods back the frustrating physical effect the man I hate has on me. I tuck my hands beneath my arms, goose bumps rising along my neck. Has the absence made this worse? Sometimes I have stupid dreams about Nate that involve far too much intimacy and wake up disgusted with myself. Why the hell can’t I control my subconscious?
Nate raises a hand to my face and I’m too stunned to react before he touches the corner of my mouth. “Riley,” he whispers, moving his face closer to mine. “There’s something you need to know.”
I blink as the sensation of his fingertip sends a tiny shock across my mouth and I part my lips. “What?”
Instead of darkened eyes to match my thumping heart, the amusement remains on his face. Nate holds his index finger up. “You have chocolate around your mouth.”
I step back and narrow my eyes at him.
He grins and wipes his hand on his jeans. “Gotcha.”
“Asshole!”
“You’re not over me, are you?”
Before I get a chance to tell Nate exactly what I think of him, he moves past me. “Two years, Riley!” Nate calls as he walks away. “Get a grip!”
I glance around, relieved nobody saw our encounter, then rush to the nearest ladies’ room. Fury is replaced by horror. Chocolate is smeared around the edges of my mouth, in a way any five-year-old would be proud of. My professional image ruined by a slice of bloody cake. With shaking hands, I wipe the mess away with a paper towel.
Damn you, Nate Campbell.

Cadence (Ruby Riot #1)

Available NowFREE on Kindle Unlimited

Shuffle (Ruby Riot #2)

Available NowFREE on Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Lisa is an Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. She is originally from the UK and moved to Australia in 2001. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, three children, and Weimaraner, Tilly, who often makes appearances on Lisa’s social media.

Lisa’s first publication was a moving poem about the rain, followed by a suspenseful story about shoes. Following these successes at nine years old there was a long gap in her writing career, until she published her first book in 2013.

In the past, Lisa worked as an English teacher in France, as an advertising copywriter in England, and ran her own business in Australia. Now she spends her days with imaginary rock stars.

She lived in Europe as a child and also travelled when she left university. This has given Lisa stories which would sound far-fetched if she wrote them down, and maybe one day she will. These days, Lisa is happy in her writing cave, under Tilly’s supervision.

Even if Ross and Kyle make it out of this alive, will the secrets in Kyle’s heart stay safe?
Kyle gets caught up in a case that is entirely unrelated to Bodyguards Inc. Not only does he abruptly need time off, but he has to have absolute trust and complete support from Ross without being able to tell Ross a thing.CIA Agent Stefan Mortimer needs Kyle’s help with a case of a geneticist and a missing formula. Trouble is being led right to Kyle’s door, endangering the life of the team he has built and the man that he loves.Going undercover, with Ross as his husband, is the worst kind of torture in so many ways, but it is the only answer. Kyle and Ross may well live through this but Kyle is convinced his heart won’t survive.

“This is easily my favourite book of the series so far. We have waited for Ross and Kyle’s story and in all honesty that wait was more than worth it!” ~Prism Book Alliance

Chapter 1

As soon as Max left the room, Kyle reached for the phone. He hesitated, with his fingers an inch from the handset, and listened to its beep indicating a call waiting.

Stefan Mortimer was at the other end of the call. That was a name Kyle hadn’t expected to hear again for a very long time, and the fact the man had contacted Kyle didn’t bode well. Especially considering Kyle thought, his and Stefan’s association had been put to bed a long time ago. A twinge of guilt accompanied the memories. He’d been the one told to leave, he was the one who’d had no choice but to go, but leaving Stefan behind had never sat well with him.

A combination of anxiety and fear fluttered in his chest as he picked up the handset and pressed the button to connect.

Only to be offered a line that was dead.

“Stefan?” Kyle said to the empty air. For a second he held the receiver to his ear, then, very deliberately, replaced the handset in the cradle. Kyle rested his head on his hands, scrubbing his face to clear the tension. When the door opened, he knew it was Ross. He always knew when it was Ross.

“He got cut off,” Ross announced.

Kyle nodded. “So I see.”

Ross sat down in the visitor’s chair directly opposite. “Is he a new client? Should I start a file for him?”

“No, an old….” How could he describe Stefan? Ex-lover, partner, old friend? “Someone I knew.”

Ross eased forward in his chair, his gray eyes bright with interest. “Knew? Like you used your experience as a spy to know?” he asked in his usual inquisitive tone.

“From before,” Kyle said. He was deliberately vague. As he was every time anyone at Bodyguards Inc. skirted near what Kyle used to do for a living. Ross loved to tease that Kyle had been CIA black ops. To be honest, Ross wasn’t that far from the truth—but that had been a long time ago now.

Ross frowned but didn’t keep it up.

“So, Max, then,” Kyle said. Changing the subject was probably the way to go. He couldn’t believe he’d just had Max in here telling him that he and Prince Lucien were an item. How the hell could the same thing happen to Bodyguards Inc. again after Ben and Adam had both fallen for their charges? “He crossed the line.”

“Seems like it’s getting to be a habit around here. First Adam, then Ben, and now Max. And I hear Lorna has a new boyfriend from her last case. Next it will be you.” Ross looked down at the iPad in his lap. “Or me,” he added.

The words were a knife through Kyle’s heart. Imagining Ross with anyone other than him was something guaranteed to put him in a bad mood. “Don’t have time for that,” he lied. If Ross took even one second to notice his boss as anything other than his boss, then Kyle would make time. But that was as likely as a snowy day in hell.

Ross chuckled. Like that was a joke. Like Kyle didn’t mean every syllable of it.

“Anyway,” Ross continued. “Max seems happy, and his prince is a hundred times cute. Did you see Lucien’s eyes? I’ve never seen eyes that dark before, and his hair. Can you imagine burying your fingers in hair like that? And he’s a prince.” Ross threw up a hand and smirked as he did so.

There was that stabbing again. Jealousy for real. Kyle didn’t have to analyze what he was feeling. Ross was talking about how sexy another man was, and abruptly, Kyle was in a headspace that screamed possessiveness. The idea of Ross finding himself a guy like Prince Lucien? Someone who pressed all his buttons? Someone Ross could fall in love with? That was enough to have the anxiety of Stefan’s phone call twist into something much worse. Jealousy.

“I have a solution,” Ross announced. “We need to vet all our clients, and if there’s any hint they are gay and single, we don’t take them on. But, that wouldn’t work for Lorna—she’s straight, and she still met someone. Hmm, we should relabel ourselves. This could be a good marketing thing.”

“Ross—”

Ross ignored the warning in Kyle’s single word and instead drew an imaginary banner in the air in front of him. “Hire a bodyguard: meet the man for the rest of your life.”

Now it was Kyle’s turn to ignore Ross. He had too much on his mind to find Ross as sexy and cute as he normally did; he had to focus. “Take a note. We’ll need to do some research and dig up a couple of new bodyguards,” Kyle said. He needed to concentrate on the company—on BI—and making sure what he had built was stable and secure.

“Take a note?” Ross muttered as he thumbed through his iPad. “Who even does that kind of thing?” Then he stopped at a page on the screen. “So yes, that is what I wanted to talk about. We have two new applicants you need to meet up with and do the usual due diligence. One is ex-MI5.” Ross raised an eyebrow at that and turned the screen so that Kyle could see the face that went with the application. “Look at Mr. Tall, Dark and Ripped,” he said.

“Ross, Jesus…”

Ross coughed to hide a laugh. “In summary, we are mostly down to the wire. I’ve turned down that reality show we worked on last year. And—” Ross sighed. “—Michael’s wife called in. He’s broken his leg.”

“Broke his leg how?”

“Skateboarding.”

“What the hell?”

Ross shrugged. “Maureen said he was teaching his nephew how to—” Ross peered at the screen. “—air and backside, whatever that means.”

Kyle sat back in his chair. He’d need to do the usual. ‘The usual’ was flowers, or chocolates, or whiskey, or something useful, along with a personal note from him and the reassurance that the operative would still be paid enough to keep going. All the operatives at BI were self-employed, but Kyle considered himself a good boss, and he had the finances to back up any support needed. “I’ll write something up.”

“Well, hang on. Listen to this before you decide. Michael then called in, straight after his wife. Turns out he can’t stand the idea of being at home. Apparently all four grandkids are staying for the summer holidays, and he’s desperate to get out, so he’s coming into the office.”

“You’re okay with that?” Kyle asked. Ross hated people interfering with his systems, and his stationery.

“Yeah, Michael’s okay. I’ll give him rules, and he’ll stick with it. He’s not like Adam.”

Kyle was too stressed to listen to another of Ross’s reasons why Adam was a wanker, as Ross so succinctly put it. Nor did he want to hear further elaboration as to the most recent place Adam had put Ross’s stapler. He resolved to change the subject, but he didn’t need to when the phone rang again. Before Kyle could reach it, Ross leaned over and picked it up.

“BI, how can I help?” There was silence, and Ross cast a glance at Kyle. “I’ll just pass you over.” He gave the handset to Kyle. “Stefan Mortimer.”

Without being asked, Ross left the room and pulled the door shut behind him, and abruptly Kyle had no excuse not to talk to Stefan.

“What’s wrong?” he said, cutting to the chase. There was no need to use his name. Stefan and he had been closer than lovers for three years, and they knew each other like no one else ever could. Under fire, behind enemy lines, undercover—they’d done it all.

“Thank fuck,” Stefan said. His voice was shaky, or was that the phone line? “I’m in the hospital,” he added. Then he coughed, as if his body wanted to underline such a defining statement.

Kyle and Stefan had done their time in hospital beds, and both had the scars to prove it, but why was that something Stefan needed to break protocol to announce? Something awful, earth-shattering… something important.

“Talk to me,” Kyle demanded without elaboration.

“K, Jason is dead. I fucking killed him.”

Stefan’s partner was dead? “Shit, Stefan—”

“I sent you it all. It’s been a week, fucking hope it gets there. I need your help.”

Kyle quickly went through the list of possible delivery options in his head. There was no email from Stefan, no voice message, nothing on the boards—which left the one thing that could work: good old-fashioned snail mail. Sent as something that may not make sense to anyone else. A standard spook-type thing.

“Okay.” He didn’t have to say anything else. If Stefan was contacting him after all this time, if Stefan needed his help, if Stefan was in trouble…. “I’ll look for it.”

“K?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

Then the phone was dead. Kyle realized he had been gripping the handset so hard that his fingers were numb. He uncurled his grip and replaced the handset in the cradle, then pressed the intercom. “Ross, can I get the mail?”

“You’ve had it.”

“I need the other mail.”

Ross didn’t argue. “On it.”

Company protocol was to have what Ross called “other mail” stored for a few months. Ross never argued with why Kyle needed to look through it every so often. He probably put it down to his boss being an eccentric American. Just like he did with most of the other things Kyle did that Ross called weird.

A couple of minutes later Ross backed into the room. In his arms was the recycling box. He placed it in the center of the table and then left. He didn’t ask why Kyle wanted it in his office.

Methodically, Kyle worked his way through rejected CVs, some marketing letters, even a pile of pizza menus. Although how junk mail had made it up the driveway in the middle of nowhere to the manor house, he didn’t know.

Right near the bottom, in familiar writing with a Los Angeles stamp, was what he was looking for. A letter from a marketing company talking about search engine optimization. There, in a flimsy business card, was a tiny chip. Sometimes the old ways were the best ways.

Kyle stood and locked the office door as quietly as he could, then crossed to the wall safe and opened it. Pulling out the chip reader, left over from a much earlier time in his life, he inserted the chip and waited for it to read. Wiring it to the printer was a little more problematic, but finally he managed it, and before too long he had a sheaf of printed information. His blood ran cold at page one, and by page ten he realized what he had agreed to would be something a little more involved than “just helping out.” He pulled out his Glock and the cartridges, putting it into the top drawer of his desk, then locked the chip and the reader into the safe. He retook his seat to reread what had printed.

Grasping the papers in his hand, he unlocked his office door.

“Do we have anyone not booked out?”

Ross looked up from his desk, a frown on his expression and black ink on his cheek. The same black ink spread over his desk, and he looked flustered. “Fucking ink cartridge exploded on me,” he said.

“Do we have anyone free?”

Ross blinked at Kyle as if he couldn’t believe Kyle wasn’t taking the ink situation seriously. “No,” he said. “I told you, we’re backs to the wall at the moment. Unless you want to push up interviews for new operatives.”

“Fuck.” Kyle cursed and thought on his feet. Not even Jen was here at the moment. His sister and her husband were on a second-honeymoon, trying-for-a-baby thing that had her out of touch for a month of love on a beach.

Timing sucks.

Kyle thought on his feet. He had no choice. It was Ross or nothing. “Okay, get Michael in here.”

Ross sighed visibly, then wiggled his fingers in front of him. “Ink,” he explained. Then added, “Michael’s coming in tomorrow—”

“Jesus Christ, Ross! Just get Michael here today.”

Kyle went back into his office and shut the door. He hoped to hell that Ross would do his regular thing and just get on with it, that he wouldn’t come in and start asking questions.

The cover was simple—a couple on honeymoon. He’d done it before. But this case was different. This time he needed to blend in, in a very different way. This time he was a newly married man, and he needed a bride. Or a groom. Someone who would be his backup in an extremely toxic situation.

It could only be Ross.

Ross wasn’t just his PA. He wasn’t quite as well trained as the bodyguards on BI’s books; he just found his peace in paperwork and running BI alongside Kyle. But he knew how to handle himself.

Not with guns. Not with the CIA. Not with this. It’s too much. He argued with himself. Ross will be okay.

Then it hit him. What would he do if he had to spend time with Ross away from the office? How many of the secrets he held inside would come out? But there needed to be more than just Kyle himself on this; he needed someone else. And that someone else would have to be Ross, which was where the problems began. Ross wasn’t interested in Kyle; Ross didn’t want anything of what Kyle could give him.

Ross didn’t know Kyle was in love with him. Wanted him. Had wanted him since the first day they met.

Ross didn’t know that Kyle had tried and failed to find someone who actually looked back at him with anything like affection.

So how could he ask Ross to do what needed to be done?

He turned the sheets of paper one at a time and made notes on a pad, not looking up when Ross came into the office and took his regular seat.

“Michael’s coming in,” Ross announced.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry I shouted.”

Ross shrugged one shoulder. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I need to take a case.”

“What case?” Ross asked. He sounded confused, and Kyle wanted to explain, but he couldn’t look up at Ross, let alone make words that explained what the hell was going on. “You don’t take on cases. What happened?”

“There’s something I have to do.”

“Is it a something that is connected to Stefan Mortimer? You looked really shocked to hear his name.”

Kyle glanced up at the question. Ross’s gray eyes looked troubled. “What I can tell you is that this is a job for the two of us, me and you.” He held up a hand to stop Ross talking. “I need you to back me up on this. For a week, maybe ten days tops, we need to go undercover.”

“Then all I can say is we’re going undercover, both of us. I’ll be with you every inch of the way.”

Ross smiled and pushed his hair back off his face, leaving a streak of black on his forehead; evidently, he hadn’t managed to wash off all the ink. “Undercover. Cool. What as? I could be a doctor or a teacher. Probably more a teacher, I guess. Not sure I’d be able to handle—”

“My husband,” Kyle broke in. “The room we have, it’s more of a suite.” He recalled the information Stefan had given him: the block booking of the only available room, which had just been renovated. “We need to be on our honeymoon. Trust me, it’s the best cover.”

Ross’s lips were in a round O, surprise on his face. “We’re acting—” He coughed to clear his throat. “—married?”

Kyle focused in on the streak of black, trying not to let any emotion show on his face. “They only have the one room, just open after renovation, the honeymoon suite. I need your decision now.”

While he waited tensely for Ross’s reply, Kyle considered. He could go on his own, and when asked where his husband was, he could easily pretend he was getting divorced from his pretend husband. But why would he still need a honeymoon suite? He’d nearly talked himself into that one when Ross looked at him directly.

“Okay.”

So many emotions passed over Ross’s face that Kyle couldn’t identify them all. He saw confusion, excitement, disappointment, the whole gamut of emotions. Then he saw Ross pull himself straight, and the smile returned. “We need a magnificent back story,” Ross said. And with that he’d agreed to play his part, and his and Kyle’s cover story was in place. “I’ll get some stuff. Give me thirty.”

Ross left, and Kyle listened for the distinctive growl of Ross’s black and red motorbike. He couldn’t help himself; he looked out of his window to the parking area below and saw Ross astride the beast of a machine that allowed him to zip around the country roads here.

“You’ll kill yourself, Ross,” he’d said when Ross had pulled up a few months ago as proud as a mom with a new baby.

“This, old man, is a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, and it’s not dangerous, it’s fun.”

Ross reminded Kyle far too often that there were ten years separating them, but being thirty-five, Kyle didn’t feel like an old man. He just preferred his Jaguar to the danger of the open road in nothing more than leather and a helmet.

“Says the man who moaned all last Friday that he had a paper cut.”

And now, there he was. He’d pulled on his leathers, and fuck, he looked like sex on legs. That gorgeous ass in leather, a black biker’s jacket hugging his slim figure. So different to the patient, organized, stapler-loving Ross that Kyle had in his head. This Ross, the one on the bike, was wild and sexy and asking to be—

Kyle had to stop himself, and he cursed Stefan for dropping him in the shit from a great height. He and Ross, in a honeymoon suite, for a week—maybe more—and with Ross wanting a magnificent backstory when Kyle couldn’t imagine what this case was going to bring him.

Espionage, agents, attempted murder, a favor to a friend thousands of miles away, and a new line in environmental disaster. Not to mention being undercover as married: with the man he was head over heels in love with in real life.

Just how wrong could this possibly go?

RJ Scott has been writing since age six when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies and was told to write a story. Two sides of A4 about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born. She reads anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror; however, her first real love will always be the world of romance. From billionaires, bodyguards and cowboys to SEALs, throwaways and veterinarians, she writes passionate stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and more than a hint of happily ever after.

Former nurse Summer Jacobs has seen her fair share of suffering, but she never expected tragedy to hit so close to home. After watching her husband die in the MMA ring, Summer spends the next two years fighting her way through the darkness. The last thing she needs is another hardheaded athlete turning her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when she meets a gridiron star who’s as skilled at stealing hearts as he is at snagging passes.

Carolina Cougars wide receiver Evan Townsend usually has no problem winning fans, so he’s intrigued when Summer shoots down his go-to plays for winning a woman’s attention. Never one to back down from a challenge, Evan turns up the heat, setting off sparks that neither can deny. But as his slow seduction begins to chase away Summer’s pain, he gets the feeling that someone is desperate to keep them apart. Now Evan will do anything to protect her—because he never misses a chance to make a perfect catch.

“L. P. Dover knows how to create the men who make us swoon, the book boyfriends we all want.”—New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin

“L. P. Dover masterfully weaves together agonizing heartbreak and swoon-worthy romance with ultimate suspense. This second-chance love story had me flipping the pages from the very first scene, craving more with each twist and turn.”—USA Today bestselling author L. B. Simmons

“A moving story of love and loss that will stay with you long after you finish reading.”—USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson

“A charming, well-written story with great dialogue and likable characters.”—Cocktails and Books

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and I was hooked . . . to find out what’s going to happen next.”—A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can’t forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over fifteen novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

Estelle Noll has heard the same things repeatedly for the past two years. How can one put a time line on recovery from total devastation? She lost the love of her life, child, and home in one day. Broken, depressed, and lost, she battles her way from the darkness and begins to piece together a new life. Xavier “Snake” Kolton is everything her husband wasn’t.

Tattooed, bold, dirty talking, and free-spirited. He makes her feel alive for the first time since the tragedy. Can the M.C. Vice President ever be more than a passing phase?

Xavier “Snake.” Kolton knows what it feels like to lose. The Vice President of the Wild Ones MC has spent years dedicated to nothing but his brothers and their commitment to bettering the community. When the fragile curly-haired blonde woman comes into his life, long dormant to him awaken. Can this woman who’s lost more than anyone ever should handle his lifestyle. Should he even ask her to?

Prologue

Estelle Noll never minded storms. The sound of the rain dancing on the rooftop made her smile. The fresh scent and the coolness it always brought were a welcome break from the sweltering summer heat. She sat on the plush grey window seat, viewing the world through the pane of glass. They cracked the screen earlier in anticipation of what was to come. The distinct aroma that came from wet concrete was nature’s perfume. She couldn’t wait to breathe in the crisp, clean scent.

I’m an unrepentant pluviophile. A total lover of rain who found joy and peace in the precipitation. The corners of her lips curled up as her mind went to her mother, Jane Abbot, and her father, James. They gifted her with her appreciation of books, rain, and whimsical things. The English-born couple loved classic literature, and wove wondrous tales about their life in Kent, England.

They’d returned to their hometown five years ago, and Estelle missed them more every day. Soon they’ll be back to prepare for your birth, little one. She rubbed her rounded belly.

A tiny foot kicked in response, and garnered a smile. There’s a living, breathing being inside of me right now. Wonderment filled her. For five years she and Everett tried to have a baby. Therefore, with his low sperm count and her endometriosis this bun in her oven was a tiny miracle.

“I can’t wait to meet you, Emma,” she whispered. Content, she glanced at the worn copy of her name inspiration, Great Expectations, in her lap.

The wail of sirens brought her from Pip and Estelle’s childhood. Tornado warning. The warnings were common this time of year. Closing her book, she studied the sky rapidly changing color. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood on end; a sense of unease flooded her system. She closed the book and slid off the cushion, narrowing her eyes. Had the sky taken on a green hue? The wind had picked up. The branches on the trees shook violently in the wind.

“Stell.” Everett strode into the room. The terse tone and clipped words made her hackles rise.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, standing to greet him.

“We need to go downstairs. The bathroom is the safest place. They spotted a funnel nearby.”

Goosebumps covered her flesh. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. She toyed with the hem of her maternity top, worrying the material as she rubbed it between her forefinger and thumb.

He moved to the window and struggled to close it. “I’ll close this. You go downstairs, now.”

The bass in his voice put her in motion. Fear slithered its way through her body; worry sat in her stomach like a stone, cold and unyielding. A lump formed in her throat. She gripped the bannister, careful not to trip as she waddled her way down the stairs. Balls of ice hit the windows, walls, and roof with loud cracks.

She jogged toward the bathroom. Fear drove her into the tiny room. She perched on the toilet seat, eager to have Everett in her line of sight. Taking deep breaths, she attempted to keep the panic forming at bay. Her stomach soured. She rocked back and forth to comfort herself and the squirming bundle in her belly. The attempt failed. His footsteps pounded on the steps.

He appeared in the doorway a few moments later. His face was pale as a sheet, and the crow’s feet in the corners of his eyes stood out. Lips drawn in a straight line, and dark eyes full of sadness, he presented a grim picture. He doesn’t think we’re going to make it. Tears blurred her vision, and her shoulders shook as she tried to hold in her sobs.

He sat on the edge of the tub and gripped her chin. “Hey. I need you to calm down for Emma, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby. We’re going to get into the tub, stay down, and pray our asses off. We’ll be interviewed on the news when all this is over. Okay?”

She swallowed the hysteria threatening to rise in her throat like carbonated bubbles full of crazy and nodded. Their lips met in a kiss that smacked of desperation. She poured every ounce of love she held for this man into their mouth mating. Surfacing for air, breathing heavily, they stared into each other’s eyes. She saw everything in his hazel orbs—the fear, the joy, and the determination. Everett Noll had never let her down when it counted. He wouldn’t start now if he could help it.

“I love you, Estelle.”

“I love you, too, Everett.” She had to yell to be heard over the roar that sounded like a massive waterfall.

“Let’s get in. It’s go time.” He stood, holding her hand as she slipped into the porcelain basin and rested on her side. She held her belly, wishing she could cradle the babe moving around inside of her in her arms.

The house vibrated, shaking them violently. Her body protested and her teeth rattled. Joints creaked and moaned. He covered her body with his own. The heat from his body, the cold, smooth surface of the tub, and the terror placed her in a crazed limbo. The noise grew loud. It really does sound like a locomotive. Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. The rest of the prayer was lost to her screams as the roof ripped off, and all hell broke loose.

Shyla Colt grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, but has lived a variety of different places thanks to her wanderlust, interesting careers, and marriage to a United States Marine. She’s always loved books and wrote her very first novel at the age of fifteen. She keeps a copy of her first submission letter on her desk for inspiration.

After a lifetime of traveling, she settled down and knew her time had come to write. Diving into her new career like she does everything else, with enthusiasm, research and a lot of prayers, she had her first book published in June of 2011. As a full-time writer, stay at home mother, and wife, there’s never a dull moment in her household.

She weaves her tales in spare moments and the evenings with a cup of coffee or tea at her side and the characters in her head for company. A self-professed rebel with a pen. Her goal is to diversify romance as she continues to genre hop, and offer up strong female characters.

She is guarded.
She is inspirational.
She is worthy of more than an encore.

He is alluring.
He is confident.
He is more than she ever bargained for.

Her stubbornness battles against his persistence…
His optimism outshines her resistance…
And their song plays on.

Sage McCoy has always been the type of guy who goes after what he wants. For years, what he’s desired most is to see his band, Mountains & Men, become more than Saturday night entertainment at a local bar. He swears he’ll chase that dream until it comes true, or he’ll die trying. Now, he senses that he and his mates are on the precipice of something amazing, and he’s never wanted anything more.

Except, perhaps, Millicent Valentine—the woman he craves above all others.
Millicent Valentine believes in one absolute truth: Men always leave. Yet, despite her belief that Sage will eventually tire of her, she can’t help but indulge her desire for him. She makes up her mind that he can have her body, but he isn’t allowed her heart. Though, she never anticipated that the leading man of Mountains & Men would be so much more than the arrogant little shit she imagined him to be.

[Worthy of the Harmony is a continuation to Encore Worthy, so make sure you read that first! This is the second of four installments revolving around Sage and Millie. Intended for audiences 18+ years of age due to explicit language and sexual content.]

Sage

I draw in a deep breath as sleep slips out of my grasp and then blow it all out as I peek open one eye. The sun, which is already high in the sky, is pouring through the curtain of my window. I usually close the blinds before I go to bed to prevent this kind of morning greeting; but when I open my other eye and look at the reason I forgot, I could give a fuck.

Millie’s on her side facing me, her arms curled up against her chest, her legs tangled with mine. Her long, ashy brown hair is fanned out across my pillows, leaving her face on display for me to admire. She’s so damn beautiful, I could stare at her all morning. Or, rather, all afternoon. I like how she’ll sleep well past noon on a Sunday, as if that’s what Sundays were intended for.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a repeat guest in my bed. Most of my hookups don’t happen here at all, but I meant what I said last night. I like having her here. I also liked having her at the show last night. When she came backstage with Violet after our set, it was like my whole body was abuzz with the reminder that I want this girl. This woman. I haven’t yet taken her out on a real date, just the two of us. She still seems reluctant to go there with me. But this is a battle I intend to win. And soon. I want more of her—more of her smart-ass mouth, more of her sexy giggle, more of her drop dead gorgeous face. Fuck, I sound like a pussy.

I don’t even give a shit.

I drape my arm around her and draw her closer, wishing to feel her warm skin pressed against mine. I sure as hell want more of this body all over me. She’s hands down, dick up, the best lay I’ve ever had. Every damn time.

I lean over and press a kiss against her bare shoulder and she sighs, stirring up my dick. A smirk pulls at the corner of my mouth as I kiss her again, making my way toward her neck. She squirms, nestling herself closer to me, her thigh brushing against my cock. I pull her even closer and nibble on the soft, fragrant skin just below her jaw. She tastes both salty and sweet, her skin still sticky from our tumble in the sheets early this morning. I can smell the lingering trace of vanilla that she wears, too.

“If you leave a mark, I’ll kick your ass,” she mumbles, her lips grazing my throat. The sound of her morning voice, raspy from sleep, has my cock’s full attention.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Mmm,” she hums.

“And if I do it where no one will see it?”

As soon as the words pass through my lips, I duck my head and latch onto the side of her boob. I bite while I suck and she gasps, her hands finding their way into my hair. I pull away and admire the pink mark I’ve left, then smile when I look up at her. Her lips are parted, her breathing slightly ragged, and her eyes are barely open. I know right away that it’s lust I see in her hooded gaze and not exhaustion. I decide to take it upon myself to change that.

I’m a born and bred Coloradan. While I now reside in Virginia, the land of the Rocky Mountains is where I’ve left a piece of my heart and where my characters come to life. When I’m not writing I’m reading; when I’m not reading I’m writing…you know how it goes! I also enjoy cooking, baking, crocheting, and jigsaw puzzles. Basically, I’m an old soul with a young heart, nonchalantly waiting for my prince to come.

Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technological communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology The Great Hunt, and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue.

Wendy earned a bachelor’s in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford University.

“Undescribable is Shantel’s debut novel and I really can’t describe its greatness! This is a story about love, second chances and opening yourself for new experiences and life itself. And it also has Slade…Just Slade would have been enough for you to read this book, but Slade with a good story in the mix? You really can’t miss it!!!” ~Review for Undescribable by Carol – Beauty in the Beastly Books Blog

“One word…this book is Unforgettable. This is by far the best book Shantel has written. Don’t get me wrong, I love love love Slade and Sam, but this is different. Its dark, raw, gritty, and very emotional.” ~Review for Unforgettable by Heather Driscoll (Amazon)

“Gahhhh! I freaking LOVED it. I swooned and died over Parker. I hooted and hollered and opened my heart up to Katherine. This story was everything I thought it would be, yet nothing like I thought it would be, all at the same time.” ~Review for Unpredictable by A is for Alpha B is for Books

Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their four year old little princess. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good bookShe has published five books in the Undescribable series and 2 books in the DASH series. She considers herself extremely lucky to get to be a stay at home wife and mother. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee, but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly. Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughter, along with their two cats and dog.